Like Birds
by patterns-at-dusk
Summary: "Despite how different their feathers were, their nature was, they had always belonged to each other; never letting the other go or stray too far. They had always been together." Modern world AU in which Naruto is recovering from a nasty break up with Sasuke. SasuFemNaru. Three-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Although this story has ****both** **Naruto and Naruko tags on it, this does not mean both characters are in the stories. There is only one Naruto and yes, she is female.**

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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters created and trademarked by Masashi Kishimoto in the Naruto universe. They belong to their respected owners. I am not making any money off of this story. I do, however, own the plot of this story. Please do not use any of the written work as shown below without my written permission.

**Warnings: Coarse language, suggestive themes, genderswitch, SasuFemNaru**

_Paragraphs in italics_- flash backs, lyrics/poems, dreams, and thoughts  
normal- present

**Enjoy:)**

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**Like Birds**

_**One**_

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_**.**_

Smoke flew in flocks of birds through the small apartment, swirling and diving before disappearing like ghosts. The young woman brought her trembling fingers towards her lips, taking another deep drag as her other hand tapped against the surface of her knee irritatingly. She closed her eyes, the images that never ceased to plague her enraging her more and more by each day that passed.

Tilting her head towards the ceiling, she slowly exhaled through her nose, releasing explosions of tormented spirits that danced around her, making her appear as a dragon with her wild hair and darkened eyes. She sat in the corner of the petite living room, knees gathered as she protected herself from the harsh breath of reality. Eventually, she cracked her sticky blue eyes open, glancing around the room.

It was obscure and dirty in the apartment, the curtains closed shut to keep the sharp rays of the sun to the outside and allowing her to be miserable in peace. Filthy dishes from days ago were overflowing the counter-top as was her trash bin. Discarded clothing lay in heaps, unwanted and too unimportant to fully grasp her fading attention.

When the rare beams of light shone through the cracks and crevices of the curtains, they illuminated the dust that had gathered everywhere, giving the small living space a grey shine. Everything had a sense of sadness to it.

Six months had passed. Six months of pure isolation had passed.

It was her fault of course, wallowing in pity and self-denial as her will to live had been eradicated on that one single day. She had done this to herself more than that damn bastard had, but still –

She furiously clutched herself, unattended finger nails digging into paling skin.

Just thinking about the events that had happened were enough to drive her to insanity itself. How dare he do this to her… how dare he rip out her heart and shred it in a million pieces right before her very eyes.

Of course they have had fights before, _for crying out loud_, they had been best friends since they were children. Even without that fact, wasn't it healthy for couples to argue? Weren't those the relationships that lasted the longest? Yet after every argument, no matter how intense and earth-shattering it had been, they were always able to come back to each other; to make up and to set things right again.

After all, birds of a feather flock together.

Despite how different their feathers were, their nature was, they had always belonged to each other; never letting the other go or stray too far. They had always been together.

It hadn't been this bad at first. After they broke up she still had a sliver of hope. No matter how much his words pierced her, no matter how much she had cried that night; he just… needed to cool down. The raven had always had a nasty habit of keeping things to himself, especially things that would eat him from the inside out. He was probably just releasing the steam on her, _like always_, because she _always _forgave him. He did it because she understood; she always understood that this wasn't the real him – it was his anger and despair possessing his actions. Or at least, that's what she thought.

She had waited a week for him to call her back.

Low and behold, after a week he _had_ called her…

To let her know that he would be picking up his things tomorrow.

He had moved out, leaving her behind.

They had gone their separate ways, flying off to new flocks. Flying away from here to where he was no longer accessible. For the last twenty years, ever since they were born, they had been known as Sasuke and Naruto. But now, they were no longer together.

There was just Sasuke, as there was just Naruto.

Flicking the ashes onto the ground indifferently, she took in another deep drag, her once bright and full face hollowing out as the cigarette stole her breath away. She was pitiful, allowing herself to decay while he was living his life without a care in the world.

The last she had heard from one of her friends, he was already seeing someone again.

That god damn, _stupid, motherfucking, BASTARD._

She had loved him; she had always loved him.

Without him she was broken.

Hearing a high-pitched mewl, she stubbed the shortened stick into the overflowing ash tray. Beside her was her four month old kitten, Kyuubi. Her friend Kiba, who volunteered at the Humane Society, had given her the sweet little thing on her birthday to help cheer her up.

She had to admit, the cute ball of fur had certainly helped.

She hadn't been as zombie like as everyone else had believed her to be. She still went to class, to work, and took care of Kyuubi. She just didn't have the energy to hang out with anyone or take care of herself. How could she when he had always taken care of her?

Kyuubi was now jumping onto her lap, pleading for attention by nudging her hand softly. A small, rare, smile gracing her lips, she gently began to pet the kitten, her fingers pleased by the softness of his fur. As the kitten began to purr, curled up into her, the blonde couldn't help but think of how she could have let herself get into this state. She was Naruto Uzumaki for crying out loud, the girl who didn't let anyone stand in her way.

She sure as hell wouldn't let the smudged memory of that asshole bring her down any further than she had already gone. She was going to move on.

* * *

Dead tired on her couch, the blue-eyed blonde was breathing steadily for what seemed like the first time in months. After her everlasting melodrama, she had opened the damn curtains as wide as they could (partially blinding herself in the process) and proceeded to clean up the apartment. She felt freed from the cage, flying in her own natural rhythm and even turning on the radio. Every corner of the small apartment had been scrubbed clean. She had even cleaned _herself,_ properly for that matter, as she hadn't really bothered too these last couple of months.

They had ended it in early winter, where the decay of fall finally dies. But now that it was spring, she was slowly awakening; reborn. She had even opened the windows, letting the fresh air sweep in to carry away the stale smell of deterioration and smoke, although, with the amount of battery that her home had endured, the young woman knew that it would take months until she could breathe easy again.

Drifting for the first time in what seemed like years, the blonde's eyes were slowly shutting. She hadn't had a proper work out since her bitterness had consumed her. Maybe it was the fact that she was finally beginning to live again that she could rest easy.

Breathing in deeply, the blonde fully shut her eyes, beginning to soar into the uncharted realms of her mind before she heard scurrying across the floor. Laughing aloud with happiness, she couldn't help but realize how strange it felt, her laughter that is. It had been so long since she had truly had something to be happy about. There was just something about the little kitty running, full of energy around the now clean apartment that just made her giggle. It seemed that Kyuubi was just as happy that she had finally cleaned up the disaster. He must have sensed it too. It felt good.

Suddenly a crash caught her attention and her eyes widening immediately. Glancing down onto the floor, Kyuubi mewled at her guilty, staring at her with big innocent eyes.

Sighing deeply, she stood up, groggily scanning the area for damage. Her eyes fell upon a picture frame that was face down on the floor. Walking towards it cautiously, she sluggishly picked it up, eyes instantly flashing red with rage, her fingers digging into the metal of the frame.

It was a picture of them… the glass cracked completely, distorting the frame. Her eyes saddening, she couldn't help but remember the event. It had been during his birthday in the summer. They had gone to the beach, much to his distaste, but he still managed to have a good time.

"I'm always amused when you're with me. You keep things interesting," he had said.

It didn't matter now. They were broken, just like this picture. The grand finally of a magic trick where all the birds fly away from a hat – flying off into different directions; never to rejoin again.

How cruel.

Broken things like this belong in the garbage.

It was time to recover, to mend her tattered wings and fly again.

* * *

She felt like herself, for once, jogging in the downtown area of Konoha near the parks. She had always been a morning jogger but today she had to make an exception. She jogged for many reasons, ranging from keeping her body intact to getting rid of the excess energy she always possessed. It was a method to clearing her head of everything before she started her day. Of course, ever since that one life changing day she had stopped the ritual. After all, her entire world had been turned upside down and inside out.

However, going with her new goal of getting her life back together, the blonde had proceeded with the ritual again.

Unfortunately, it was around 12 o'clock now, nowhere near her original hours. She wasn't complaining though as the blonde had actually _slept_ through the night, which was something completely new.

Glancing around, she realized just how different this was. She was used to the isolation and crisp air of the morning instead of the crowds of people. It was hard to keep a steady rhythm when people kept blocking the way.

And then, the blue-eyed girl stopped dead, her heart skipping several – no – _twenty beats_. There, before her, was the devil himself. Tall, lean, with thick ebony hair and mysterious obsidian eyes that were always preferred to be incomprehensible rather than full of life. With him was his guitar, the one thing that he could be seen everywhere with. Additional to his flock was… a woman… a petite woman with bubble-gum pink hair that was pixie cut and jade eyes that made her want to spit her heart out and leave it to the vultures.

This… this was too much… was this his rumoured girlfriend?

Unable to stomach the scene any longer, she hastily pulled up her hood, her long, blonde hair tied and hidden as she made her way towards a near by street vendor. She had promised herself that she would begin to cut down on the smoking, but now she needed to relax. She needed to regain her senses and get out of here as soon as possible.

She stalked up to the shrilly looking man, eyes dark as the ocean released its wrath in her eyes. Her voice shacking, she quickly demanded,

"Marlboro. Red. Three packs."

The man gave her an odd look, but she was too troubled to even realize it. Quickly, she paid with every last dollar in her wallet and turned around, ready to run home and cry when blue-eyes locked with midnight.

He was a lot more handsome then she remembered, or maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her. Six months ago, the raven had just started to grow out his bangs. Now, they were covering his eyes, giving him a more rugged look – not that he ever _didn't_ look rugged and wild.

He looked just as shocked as she did.

"Na -" he caught himself before replying calmly, "Uzumaki." His expression was unreadable, masked by the hair in front of his eyes.

Had they really fallen so hard that he couldn't even say her name?

"Uchiha," she viciously spat back, brushing by his shoulder violently before stalking towards an unoccupied bench.

She would have ran home, if her knees hadn't failed her by becoming weak at this very moment. She was powerless near him, nothing but a caged bird that was forced to entertain its master.

Rapidly, she pulled out her ever present lighter, illumination the cancer between her fingers before inhaling intensely, permitting her lungs be filled to the brim with toxins. Blowing out of from her nose, the blonde irritably admired the escaping smoke, how it swayed and looped before disappearing. She wished she could be like that: just flutter away and disappear completely.

Feeling the space beside her creek, the familiar aroma of his spicy cologne invading her senses, the blonde couldn't help but think of how cliche this was becoming.

He knew that this particular brand was her favourite.

"What do you want," she spat, heated azure orbs glaring ahead of her, refusing to even look at him.

A deep silence settled between the two, the sounds of chirps and children squealing with joy in the park coming deaf to their ears. In time, he breathed out in a murmur, "how have you been?"

"Why do you care!?" she bitterly hissed, smoke still surrounding her like a veil.

"I didn't expect you to still be this bitter," he continued, in a tone that suggested he wasn't speaking the entire truth. "It was a mutual break-up."

How dare he... How dare he insinuate that they just happened to decide together all merrily that they shouldn't be together. There was nothing 'mutual' about it. She had been shocked, blubbering excuses just to make him feel horrible. This time she turned to him with the craze of an amazon woman, eyes turning from the murky and depressing blue to an ice so sharp and vile that it would pierce him over and over again.

"You fucking _bastard, _there was nothing fucking mutual about it!"

"You were the one," he swallowed, "who said I was being neglectful and that it would be for the best."

"Well what the fuck was I supposed to say!?"

She was standing now, waving her arms like a madman, ashes flying as the cigarette still hung between her lips. She was attracting the attention of everyone in the park but she could have cared less. This was the man who broke her heart. No – he ripped it out mercilessly from her chest, stomped all over it, wiped out a knife and mutilated it in front of her for days, weeks, and _months_.

"You fucking Uchiha have always been like that, fucking around with people, doing as you merely please without caring about the people you leave behind! I should have known you would have done this. I should have known that you wouldn't have cared that we've known each other for years. You fucking stay out of my life, _you hear me!?"_

She needed to hurt him, make this just as personal and heart aching as he had left her there, six months ago, in the home they had shared for three years. By the fact that they were in public made it all the better. She knew that the arrogant man in front of her hated public attention. Just the fact that she had screamed his surname probably got all of Konoha's attention by now.

"_You're just like your father!"_

The shocked look on his face, border lining between fury and insanity was enough to make her feel a sick satisfaction. The Uchiha were practically celebrities in Konoha as their clan having been one of the founding nobility of the city two hundred years ago. It was also a bit of an unspoken gossip that the current head of the Uchiha family, Fugaku Uchiha – _Sasuke's father – _was having multiple affairs for the last seven years.

The look on Sasuke's face confirmed that immediately. She could see his fingers twitching, clenched into fists so tight that it appeared as if he knuckles would be freed from their skin prison at any moment. He wanted to hit her, which was unsurprising.

They had always been physical, having taken martial arts since they were little. That way, when they ever got into arguments, as children they would literally beat the shit out of each other. The small raven had always been scolded heavily afterwards, being told that it's impolite to hit a girl.

"_Naruto's not a girl," _he would argue. _"She's acts like a boy and hits harder than Neji!" _

Now things were different. They were in public, speaking for the first time in ages. He couldn't hit her just like they used to. They weren't the same people anymore. They weren't the same species anymore.

He gave her his death glare to suffice, eyes narrowed into a look so deadly that she had to resist the urge to flinch. That's when it hit her.

This wasn't her. She wasn't an angry and spiteful individual. She was the foxy sunshine, the one who forgave and helped everyone to the best of her abilities, the one who never lost her smile.

_The one who forgave everyone, no matter how astronomical the damage was_.

The Uchiha himself had stood up, ready to stalk away and probably demolish his current home space with his own uncontrollable rage, before he lost his cool demeanor in public, when she caught his wrist, eyes melting. It was spring after all.

He wiped around, eyes crazed with wrath before she breathed out, "I'm sorry… I didn't mean –"

"It's fine," he replied, his voice shacking with vehemence. He could tell that he was losing his rheostat over the situation.

She tightened her hold in his wrist in response, speaking in a low and contrite tone.

"I meant it… I – can we at least be friends again?"

He was silent for a few more moments, eyebrows furrowed with confusion and other looks that she could not identify. He was quick to realize the mistake of revealing his true face for those few moments. He had always been cautious of showing his true face in public, or to anyone for that matter. His façade was back on in a matter of seconds.

"Okay," he whispered just as gently, shadowy orbs staring through her very soul, clouded with emotions she could no longer read. "Okay," he repeated, much more confidently then the first time.

Lamely, she herself responded, "okay," before letting his wrist go, turned around and began to walk away. They were flying away in different directions again.

* * *

Walking up at around nine am, the blonde had to admit that this was indeed an accomplishment. Despite yesterday's trauma, she had once again slept through the entire night, no dreams or memories hindering her slumber. Walking over to the curtains, she opened them fully again, allowing for the gentle morning light too grace her apartment with a calm and pleasant air. It was nice outside today.

She even cracked a couple windows open to allow the fresh air to sweep through. The birds were chirping loudly, causing Kyuubi's hunter instincts to kick in. He began to meow loudly at the window, begging to be let outside and mutilate the poor singing canaries. Lighting a cigarette, the cerulean-eyed blonde turned on the ventilator above her small oven, smirking as the kitten began to dance around her. He was purring and mewing, rubbing against her in hopes that she would be drawn into his charm and let him outside.

It was possible after all. She lived on the ground level so there would be no harm in letting him out. For now, she was just a little afraid to let the kitten prance around outside by himself. Would it be possible to buy him a cat leash?

Abruptly, the doorbell rang, immediately catching her attention. Who the hell would decide to _visit her_, let alone so early in the morning?

Opening the door, her eyes widened at the sight before her.

Uchiha Sasuke was gracing her with his presence, eyes tired and full of interesting sentiments. His hair was tussled just right and wild, black skinnies hugging his lean legs and a black leather jacket covering his broad shoulders. He was wearing her favourite cologne again.

Blowing impurities in his face, the blonde crossed her arm self-consciously over her chest. She wasn't wearing a bra, as she never did when she slept, and had failed to change yet. Although he was an expert on every joint and angle of her body it wasn't the same anymore.

"What are you doing here?"

His expression didn't change to the smoke in his face or her gestures. His eyes were locked onto her face, conflict raging in his features.

"You said we could be friends, didn't you?" he shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I did," but she didn't think that he would show up so soon.

"Can I come in?"

Wordlessly, she stepped to the side, allowing him to enter before making a bee-line towards her, _no longer their,_ bedroom, changing immediately. As she re-entered, she wasn't surprised to see the raven lounging on the couch, Kyuubi already analyzing him with curious eyes from the opposite side.

"When did you get a cat?" He asked, eyes fixed on the orange ball of fur as he jumped onto the other's lap, meowing in his face.

"Kiba gave me him for my birthday," she replied just as dryly, making herself a coffee. She didn't ask him if he wanted anything. Their reconciliation was beginning to become too close for comfort, too painfully familiar to how things used to be.

"Why are you here again?" she asked, not wanting to sound annoying but she needed to know. She needed to know why he was disturbing the chemistry of her body again.

He was silent and she didn't dare look back in fear of him ripping her wings out all over again.

"I think," he started, "that you deserve an explanation."

"Oh yeah?" she bitterly scoffed, taking a generous gulp of her coffee. "Then do explain."

The silence continued as the gap between them was beginning to widen all over again. It was just like before. The deep tension in the air, barley exchanging words and ignoring each other to oblivion. It was just like before.

"I said a lot of nasty things that night," the Uchiha spoke gently, finally having gathered the nerve. "A lot of things were going on that I didn't tell you about, as usual, because I didn't want you to worry. I thought I could fix them on my own and everything would be fine."

"You always say that," she whispered, hoping that he didn't hear her but knowing that he did.

"Mother finally began to fight back against father, no longer wanting to live in a loveless marriage," he continued, sighing out deeply as he began to speak more than she had heard him say in the past year for that matter. A year ago when all this drama started.

"She filed for divorce and it wasn't pretty. Of course that bastard fought it, saying that he loved her and that they could work this out. The only thing he didn't want to lose was his reputation by a silly scandal. It's like he still thinks he's untouchable. Everyone in the damn city knows that he can't keep it in his pants anyways."

The blonde felt a pang of guilt clench her heart, remembering how he had reacted the day before to her rage filled comment.

_You're just like your father._

Sasuke _hated_ his father, and she knew that better than anybody else.

"He started to take things out on me as usual, calling me failure for going into business yet concentrating more on my music. Tch, he always hated how I was more interested in music than running a fucking a corporation. Itachi was always more suited for stuff like that."

"_I know,"_ she wanted to say. _"There's a great big gap behind you in this room because that's where you're piano used to sit." _As well as,_ "I used to hear the arguments when I was over. I know he hated it. It was supposed to be a way to raise your concentration and intelligent for business. He didn't expect you to fall in love with it." _

"He was giving me shit about taking a minor degree in music. He said I should focus all my efforts on business, or become an engineer because I have the intelligence for it. You know he never cared about me in the first place."

_I know._

"Then, Itachi got diagnosed with cancer seven months ago," _seven months ago when we were at each other's throats every day and I thought you were cheating, because you were never home and pretended that I didn't exist. You were probably sick with worry, spending all your time with Itachi._

"That was enough to drive that egotistical asshole over the edge, his prodigy lying in bed with a severe sickness. He didn't even stop to consider that we were all worried about Itachi, that we were all scared. The cancer wasn't even that bad. They caught it in its early stage and were able to cure Itachi. But still," there was a tight edge in his voice and she could feel the anger in his words.

"_He _treated it as if it were the end of the world, as if Itachi was going to drop dead at any moment."

"How is he now?" she interrupted, her own shock running through her veins. The azure-eyed beauty had always been close with Itachi. _Until seven months ago. _

"He's doing well now," the ebony-haired man replied softly, his anger having escaped him for a brief moment.

"But that's not good enough for father. Just the mere worry that Itachi may not be able to take over the company set him into paranoia. He was literally screaming at me to switch my courses and that it was time to prove that I wasn't a loser and a disappointment for picking such a 'pathetic career choice' over something more profitable like business."

Knowing how much Sasuke had resented his father for ignoring him all those years of his life; she began to feel her own anger welling inside of her. Fugaku always knew how to push everyone's buttons to a max point. Of course he'd take it out on his youngest.

"He started to blame you," Sasuke spoke quieter, his loud rant becoming more personal by the second.

"He said you were the reason that I was going into the music, your crazy influence. You were the reason that I was such a disaster." She clenched the counter top, her cigarette gone and her coffee cold.

"I know he was just saying it to get a rise out of me, but at the time," he was on edge, "I just couldn't handle it. I said a lot of things to him, how I felt about his bullshit," he then began to laugh dryly, scoffing. "And then he disowned me. Just like that. Not like I care," he was lying. "But at the time, it was just too much to handle. I needed to sort things out."

She frowned, absorbing everything before he continued, the usually quiet and conserved Uchiha having bouts of word vomit. It was as if she was the priest and he was having his confession.

"That's when I moved out," he whispered. "I wasn't thinking straight and I was just so angry. I was angry at Itachi too. As soon as he heard what father did, he went right up to his office and told him that if he disowned me, he might as well disown him too. He didn't need to do that for me."

Trying to keep her voice level, too many emotions and feelings running through her at this very moment, she asked calmly, "is everything alright now?"

She could feel his eyes smoldering holes in the back of his head, as if confused with her response. Was he expecting her to scream at him?

"I moved in with him after that," he spoke calmly. "Itachi was helping me switch around me courses and get back to myself I guess. Now I'm majoring in music with a minor in math."

"The Pink Floyd approach?" she asked dryly, lighting another cigarette as it pacified her greatly. Pink Floyd was his favourite… their favourite. Too many memories revolved around that for her comfort. The images were already beginning to resurface…

"Yeah," he replied, probably coming right down memory lane with her. "Something like that. Mother moved in with us too."

"And how is she?"

"Better. At least, better than she has been in years. She calls your mother a lot; half the conversations are about you and I."

"_There is no longer 'you and I'." _She wanted to snap, but kept her cool.

It's not like they had much to talk about. Her mother had moved to Suna after her father's death when she was in high school. She hasn't called her since six months ago. She didn't _remember_ to call her.

Her wind already flying to the land of her past, she felt her heart clench ferociously at every memory. This… this was too much.

"I'm sorry…" he breathed out and the blonde was wondering when he had become so talkative. "I should have told you. After all this shit I was just so damn angry and stressed and I wish – "

"It's fine. It's done and over now. You did what you had to do."

"I should have learned by now. It was like repeating everything from the first time –"

"What? Back when we were fifteen? Come on Sasuke, don't be stupid. That was ages ago. Besides,

I'm used to being alone."

She could almost hear his fist clench and his face frown. It wasn't like he didn't know. She was like a Red-Tailed hawk. Always alone, forced to fend for herself and be tough for everyone else. Knowing that her comment probably hurt him more, she shook her head, blowing toxic air into the ventilator above the oven. (1)

"You know what? I'm sorry. I'm just being bitter. You went through a lot of shit and yeah, maybe you should have told me, but I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for being jealous and vindictive. I thought you were cheating..."

"I know. You were screaming at me, remember?"

"Yeah, I was pretty fucking pissed…"

"So was I… I hadn't realized at the time that I had been neglecting you so terribly."

"I know, you always do that when you have something important on your mind."

An unsettling silence then entered the apartment. It was dark and cold now, the sun having moved on from her window to the other side of the building. It reflected her current state of mind perfectly.

"You should stop smoking so much," he suddenly interjected, doing everything in his power to keep her talking. It's like their roles had been replaced. Usually she was the talkative one and he was the silent one. How much had changed?

"Oh yeah? You smoke too. More than I do," if she remembered correctly that is.

"Not as much as you do," he countered. "You're _eating_ your cigarettes."

They've never been this awkward before.

Even before, whether they were in major arguments, screaming, talking, or just plain ignoring each other, somehow they had always been able to connect. Always connected, always familiar.

They were strangers now.

No longer containing the same feathers.

Just different species passing each other before continuing to their separate destinations.

**.**

**.**

* * *

Footnotes:

(1) Red-Tailed Hawk – a bird of prey that is often used in falconry. The female tends to be the 25% larger then the male and is more dominant. They are also considered to be rather lonely birds.

* * *

**A/N: This story is going to be a three shot and I'm going to try to get the next chapter out in a couple days. I'm sorry for neglecting you guys so much, especially the Ghost Flower readers :/ I had exams a couple days ago and this whole month was me attempting to juggle sleep, work, and school. Luckily though, this semester is a thousand times easier than the last one so I should have a lot more time for writing ** ** Expect new material soon! **


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters created and trademarked by Masashi Kishimoto in the Naruto universe. They belong to their respected owners. I am not making any money off of this story. I do, however, own the plot of this story. Please do not use any of the written work as shown below without my written permission.

**Warnings: Coarse language, suggestive themes, genderswitch, SasuFemNaru**

_Paragraphs in italics_- flash backs, lyrics/poems, dreams, and thoughts  
normal- present

**Enjoy:)**

* * *

**Like Birds**

_**Two**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

She didn't sleep well that night. Her dreams were beleaguered with memories of them from all those years they had spent together. The most prominent memory happened to be that of when they were seventeen. They had snuck out in the middle of the night, Sasuke having been 'grounded' by Fugaku for a trivial matter and was not able to see anyone or use his car. He had disobediently 'stolen' his own vehicle, driven out, picked up Naruto and sped towards the downtown.

Somehow they had found an open piercing parlor, Sasuke's overly rebellious nature against his father and all; having the need to ruffle the old man's feathers a bit being the drive of his determination for disobedience. They ended up with Naruto getting a gnarly tattoo on her stomach and Sasuke getting his tongue pierced.

Then they had then driven to the monument section of the city, where you could view the entire place from a panoramic view. It was always a hot spot for couples, but tonight, it happened to be empty.

They ended up on the roof of his cherry red car, blasting Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, and other oldies as loud as the speakers allowed for it to go. They had talked, relaxed, and just plain enjoyed each other's company.

At the end of the night they ended up kissing throughout Us and Them, near six am if she remembered correctly. She could hear it now,

_Haven't you heard, it's a battle of words  
The poster bearer cried.  
Listen son, said the man with the gun  
There's room for you inside_

That was when they officially started dating.

* * *

It had been two weeks since he had last heard from him and she couldn't help but feel the need to text him or _something_. He had said a lot to her, even gone as far as explaining every detail of what had happened those past fucked up months. The raven had never been good with expressing his feelings vocally. It must have been slowly killing him inside out to share his thoughts with her like that…

_You're just like your father._

He often let his emotions get the better of him when it was concerning his father. She could remember back when they were fifteen when he had done something similar. In fact, he had taken his anger out on her in front of the entire student body, even going as far as the physically fight her.

Although she held her own against him, too have humiliated her in front of the entire student body had been a shock to her. It had been close to destroying her.

They ignored each other for almost a month before one day, between her classes, he had grabbed, locking them in the janitors closest before apologizing quickly and quietly, as if embarrassed by the very act.

His fists were clenched and although it had been dark, she could see how red his eyes were.

"_I caught father cheating on mom."_

His breathing had been extremely heavy and _she_ knew he was about to cry. Instead of keeping the anger inside of her for treating her like shit, she brought him into his arms, holding on as tight as she could while he clutched onto her lithe frame, his head buried in her shoulder.

"_I hate him"_ he had continued to whisper into her neck. _"I hate him so much. I hate his fucking guts."_

She could remember the feel of those salty tears that had run down her neck that day. He was too proud to admit it and was completely silent, only mumbling 'I hate him,' over and over again. They ended up skipping the rest of the day, half of it spent in the small little closet until the janitor came, kicking them out immediately. He had even threatened to call to tell the principal that he had found 'two losers fucking in the damn closest!' as if. They had still just been friends then.

He slept at her place that night though as it was too painful for him to be at home now. Her mother completely understood, seeing Mikoto had called her best friend in her own despair. After all, Sasuke would always be welcome in their home.

Guilt beginning to eat her from the inside out, unable to handle it any longer, she pulled out her phone, texting him:

_-I wanted to thank you for explaining everything to me. I appreciate it._

She then threw the phone aside, lying back down onto the couch as Kyuubi jumped onto her stomach, immediately snuggling into her warmth. Petting the soft orange fur, she couldn't help but reminisce the many memories of this place.

She could clearly remember when they moved in, how excited they had been. They would do their homework together, despite their majors being completely different from one another. The tall man had often somehow convinced her to watch horror movies with him and how she would always pretend that they didn't scare her when really she was shitting her pants. It would always be fine though. Just basking in each other's company was enough for her to be content with their lives and how they were. It was enough to leave her soaring through the heavens until she reached cloud nine. Then later, when getting ready for bed, they would have those lazy conversations that would end up being much longer then they had ever planned them.

Come to think of it, she hadn't slept in the bedroom since he left; the memories being too personal, too sweet, and too heart-wrenching to remember.

She missed him.

* * *

Groaning, the young woman's eyes fluttered open at the sound of loud mewling. Her eyes finally focusing, she rolled them up with a lazy expression directed at Kyuubi prancing around on her body as if he owned the damn thing. He kept nudging her hand and face, forcing her to awake from the deep slumber. The damn fur ball was probably hungry.

Sighing, she began to sit up and Kyuubi jumped off in glee, cavorting towards his bowl. She sighed loudly, running her fingers through her mop of blonde hair before self-consciously checking her phone. She had two messages… both from Sasuke.

_-Thanks for understanding. I'm sorry that things happened this way. _

And

_-Meet me at Sound Café tomorrow? 12 good for you? _

Feeling her heart begin to flutter like a thousand singing birds, she typed back, _okay,_ before attending the her little monster of a kitten.

* * *

Walking down the street, the blonde kept her hands shoved deep within the pockets of her dark blue sweater. The messy bun on the very top of her head bobbing to the fast pace as her dirty black converse pounded the sidewalk with every stride. She was beginning to feel the irony of situation more and more.

Of course he would have chosen their favourite place to meet at.

Also, she couldn't believe she had even agreed. Weren't you never supposed to go on a 'date' with your ex-boyfriend?

As soon as she turned the corner, she wasn't surprised to see him already there. He had chosen to sit outside, not only because it was nice or so that he could smoke, but because she loved to sit outside. Of course he'd pull a stunt like this.

Building up courage, the blonde walked right over to the table, plopping down in the seat.

"Hey."

He blew smoke above him before mumbling, "hi," and proceeding to take in another deep drag. He was dressed with his ever present black skinnies and steel-toed combat boots, with aviators covering his eyes and a dark navy shirt hugging his frame. His signature black leather jacket hung off of the chair. He would be considered 'casual' today with the dark green bandana tied around his head. Glancing down at the table, she resisted the urge to scoff. Of course he'd order their usual; black coffee for himself and green tea for her. (1)

"You still taking history?" He suddenly asked, butting out his smoking cancer as she pulled out her own.

"Yeah," she mumbled, lighting venom between her lips. "History major with a minor in sociology. Although I have no idea what job that'll lead me too. Mom keeps pushing me to go into teaching."

"You always did love working with kids," he replied, casually taking off his glasses as well as taking a sip of his coffee. "You also happen to have a particular talent for it too. Which is a lot to say, considering you were the class Dobe."(2)

"Hey!" she countered, ignoring the use of the familiar and oh so bitter-sweet nickname as they settled into their usual and familiar banter. "I rather be the class clown then the classroom asshole!"

"You were the only one to think that," he smirked. "As I recall, you were jealous of all the girls fawning over me."

"They were blinded by your good looks and overlooked the fact that you were a total bastard!" He caught her mistake almost instantly, like a hawk stalking its prey.

His smirk widened with a gleam in his eyes that she knew all too well. Then came that deep bass of his voice laced with sugar as he whispered seductively, "so you're admitting that I'm handsome."

"Shut up, it was just a slip up." To show him her irritation further, she blew the smoke in his face, knowing that he wouldn't be affected at all.

It still made her feel better though. She had purposefully chosen these safe topics, very much wanting to avoid the inevitable but it appeared that the young man who had broken her heart, who possessed eyes as black as coal and hair as astounding as midnight, was quite content with skydiving into the unknown. He always was that type of person.

You weren't supposed to flirt with your ex. Especially the ex you haven't even talked to in six months.

She needed to tone this down. Now.

"How's your mom doing? With the divorce, that is."

He immediately tensed; frowning slightly before breathing deeply.

"Not the greatest I guess, he refuses to sign the papers which isn't unexpected. The lawyers are in a bit of stalemate because of that."

"She's probably happy to live with you guys though."

"Yeah," he breathed, a relieved look on his face before looking a little annoyed. "She treats us like kids though. Nagging us to do the laundry and saying that I look too skinny again."

"You've always been super skinny."

"I guess," he shrugged, taking another sip of the coffee. He was starting to shy away, frowning as he was lost in thought. He probably knew she asked that just to throw the mood off. He was always one step ahead of her.

_You're just like your father._

"Do you still meet up with Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu? Doing the band thing?"

Those dark eyes seemed to brighten considerably, his once cool and suave nature turning giddy with child-like joy.

He started to ramble. _Well, _ramble as much as someone of his stature could, about how despite the painful events of the last couple of months, he _was_ in fact still doing the 'band thing'.

The blonde however failed to pay any attention what so ever, her mind flying off to those traitorous isles that only birds like her could reach. The isles of past memories.

She could clearly recall back in high school when the foursome could always be found in the music room after school hours, practicing grunge and punk rock, metal pieces that Sasuke had composed himself. Sometimes they'd do gigs at nightclubs, charity events, and some school occasions.

She could remember when she'd sneak into the band room to listen to them. However, no matter how discreet and cautious she was, the raven would always find her. Sometimes he'd kick her out, angrily or with a quick kiss, a wink, and a promise of showing her his latest project soon. When they had been still friends, the later had been a sloppy kiss on her forehead to tease her with a promise of getting pizza later. Other times he'd turn a blind eye to it, glancing at her every now and then to show her that yes, he did very well indeed know that she was there.

More recent memories included him singing to her in the apartment, lulling her to sleep whenever she was studying up into the early hours of the morning. His voice had always been more beautiful than a thousand singing canaries. On the rare occasion, he would even play stunning, heart-wrenching, red string piano music that he would compose specifically for her. It would always make her heart flutter like a little bird. It was the only way he knew how to express his deeper emotions to her. It was the only way she could understand him so sincerely.

They didn't understand one another anymore.

"Naruto?"

She was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts, the Uchiha staring at her with half concern, half with sneer.

"Were you even listening to what I was saying?"

The tone was harsh and accusing. Worst of all, he seemed hurt.

Of course he'd be hurt… music was his entire life. His father already rejected it; he didn't need her to reject it as well.

"I'm sorry," she sighed out, throwing away the remains of her once cigarette into the ash tray. "My head hasn't exactly been here these last couple of months," she admitted, causing him to flinch.

"It's fine. I get it."

He stared at his lap, eyes glaring at his resting arms. Did he expect for things to be the same?

Suddenly, his eyes locked with hers in a stare that she could not break away from. His eyes, usually so cold, so stoned, were full of emotions she could no longer recognize. They were swirling and flying with winds of something that shook her to her very core.

_Lust._

"Would you be willing to go? Too listen to my music again?"

They had agreed to stay as friends. How come being friends with him always made things complicated?

"Of course," she replied genuinely, wrapping her arms around herself in embarrassment. She couldn't handle those painful tortured orbs staring right through anymore. She just wanted _to run. To fly away. _Far from here and back to her lonely cave. She was beginning to shame her decision more and more.

He, however, appeared unmoved by her discomfort. In fact, his face shone with _relief. _Relief and gratitude.

He was beginning to act like his old self around her again.

"The band and I are doing a gig this Saturday in that shady Akatsuki club we used to go to. It starts at nine o'clock."

He then stood up abruptly, throwing some loose change from his pockets onto the table, a striking smirk decorating his supercilious face. He slipped on his jacket, popped the collar and planted his hands on the table, hovering over her. She was shaking.

Since when did Uchiha Sasuke frighten her so much?

He was a vulture and she was the prey.

"Don't be late."

* * *

She still hasn't been able to figure out what had possessed her to come and see him at Akatsuki.

It could have been anything ranging from the thrill of a concert, her own love of music, the fact that she hadn't been out on a Saturday night for a long time, or the sole fact that she still had feelings burning brighter than the sun itself for a certain lonely raven. The last reason, however, was the one she refused to acknowledge the most.

Leaning against the bar, her tight leather pants hugging her waist, she couldn't help but miss going to this types of concerts. They used to go out every weekend, Sasuke wanting to support local music as much as possible. It was always an excuse to get out of the house, to live a little and feel at free with their youth.

The lights dimming, she quickly pulled out a small flyer from her pocket, squinting her eyes in order to read it in the bad lighting.

Her fingers traced over the names slowly until she found what she was looking for.

_Taka – 9_

Of course Sasuke's group would be close to last. These concerts usually went in an order from worst to best and the exotic raven would always be last. He would always be the best. And if they weren't the best, his perfectionist nature would kick in until they _were _the best.

She had drowned out the majority of the performances, thinking about everything and nothing as she clapped robotically whenever it was necessary, hooting with the crowd as performers would come and go.

At one point, she even joined the mosh pit, ending up crowd surfing with several other individuals at the same time. It seemed as if her wings were beginning to heal themselves slowly as they began to stretch out again.

She missed feeling alive like this.

To laugh out loud, talk to people she had never met before as if they were old friends, it was like she could be herself again.

Eventually, the lights dimmed as they last group walked off the stage and the new one arrived. Even in darkness, her eyes immediately caught sight of a bob of pristine white hair, seemingly to glow in the club. It was Suigetsu, Sasuke's male best friend and right hand man – if that was the word for it.

Her heart began to pound louder and louder as the anxiety settled in. She was nervous to see them preform again… she hadn't even heard their music since a year ago… she didn't know what to expect.

Suddenly the lights began to brighten and the crowd roared. Like every band before them, they were still setting up, plugging in their instruments and getting ready. The albino plugged in his guitar, looking out at the crowd as if to judge the situation at hand.

His eyes suddenly met hers and his immediate reaction was to grin. Familiarity spreading its wings, she smirked back, raising her hand to flash him the birdie. He chuckled in response, sticking out his tongue as he walked on over to his leader, whispering in his ear.

The raven only nodded, his back facing her as he continued to set up.

Her eyes drew to him immediately and the first thing she realized was the blue tint in his usually coal black hair. He was wearing a tight black shirt, the band logo of a massive eagle etched into it with swirls of navy blue and red and grey. Black, ripped skinny jeans hugged his toned legs with chains and for once, he had traded in his combat boots for converse which were, not to her surprise, of the black variety.

Just then, they started to play, Juugo's drums setting a fast beat as the harmonic guitars began to thunder and the crowd screamed. She even recognized Karin, her once close friend, going at it with her sleek red base. Seven months ago, she had stopped talking to everyone out of her own depression…

Sasuke abruptly turned around, an arrogant smirk covering his face as the crowd screamed even louder than it had before. She on the other hand, only rolled her eyes at his ego boost, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against the bar again. She hadn't realized how popular they had become in these past few months.

He began to sing and crowd went even crazier. Well, the female population at least. He was playing on his favorite guitar, a glossy black Gibson that she and Itachi had bought him for his sixteenth birthday. His skilled fingers caressed the instrument as his voice rang out through the small building, leaving everyone to be starstruck.

Like the Andean Condor he is, he found her immediately, locking his dark eyes with her ocean blue and put her in a trance. It was like it was only the two of them in the room… it was like he was singing to her again. He would look across the room; break the hold to close his eyes for those high notes and allowing teasing glimpses of the metal shine in his mouth. However, his eyes would always find hers as he poured out his soul to her in the only way he knew how. (3)

Her hands became clammy as her heart began to pound through her ears. He was doing it again, stunning her, impressing her. Her heart had always been in his possession… he was only proving it to her now.

They continued through two more songs, being called back for a third and final encore before the next band had to go on stage.

She considered leaving, having already done her part of the deal. Her senses were on overload and the only thing she could think of is how much she wanted to get out of here, smoke, and go home to hide under her covers until she could get herself under control again. She _hated_ what he could still do to her after all these months.

Pushing herself away from the now overcrowded bar, she was about to walk out the door when she froze.

She saw him, that damn hawk, talking to the girl in the park, his rumoured girlfriend…

She couldn't help but feel jealousy's monstrous hand rip her soul open again. Of course he would have moved on by now… only wanting to heal their friendship. She suddenly felt self conscious, wrapping her arms around herself, wishing to grow wings so she could get the hell out of her.

Of course he would have chosen someone else… she was… well what was she? If anything she had born with the wrong gender. She had always been a brute, preferring to wrestle with the boys in the mud and ditch class to smoke rather then take extreme care of her appearance and dress to impress. At one point, she had been teased as being a boy in middle school, her mother having cropped her hair when she had gotten lice. She had even begun to wear boy clothes rather then her girl ones out of spite. Sasuke had been the only one who had stood beside her. It was once they had gotten to high school that she regained her feminine figure as her bust had gone through a massive growth spurt over the summer.

Even then, she still acted like a boy. This girl… she had fair pale skin, bubble-gum pink hair that only complimented her beautiful jade green eyes. She was so stunningly pretty… Of course he would have preferred a real woman over a loser like her.

Unable to stomach the scene any longer, she sneered, turning around whilst pulling out a cigarette from behind her ear. If she got to the back exit of the club, no one would realize she had even left. She was close to the exit, pushing through the last wave of rockers before someone grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around.

It was the devil himself, his eyes searching her before he cracked a small smile.

"You came."

"Of course," she murmured, hands clenched into tight fists. Staring back at him, she swallowed before continuing in a pained toned.

"You look good out there rock star, you guys are getting better every time I see you."

He only smiled dangerously, his hands still holding her, "You look good rock star, and you're getting more and more beautiful every time I see you."

She scoffed, shaking her head sadly before she dared to point at his hair. He shrugged, still smiling.

"My friend, Sakura," he gestured to the pinkette who was flirting with a red-head near the bar. "She's a hair dresser. She did it for me yesterday."

"Sakura, your girlfriend?" she asked in a sneer, noting the way his face darkened with hurt and confusion.

"What? Of course not…" he whispered hoarsely. "How could you think..?"

He suddenly closed his mouth, stopping himself, remembering their meeting at the park.

"She likes to spread rumours," he eventually began, too ashamed to look into her eyes. "She likes me a lot…"

She only scoffed, "like every other girl… They just love too flock to you."

He smiled, revealing those pearly white canines as his face neared hers, lips barely touching.

"But I only fly to you."

He was kissing her, kissing her with a passion that left her knees weak and rendered her completely powerless. She had missed this so much… missed being held in his arms like a baby bird. So gently, so tenderly, so _lovingly_.

His hands found hers as he intertwined their fingers before pulling away briefly, dragging her through the mounds of people before they went out the back door and into the alley way. Her back met the cold and jagged bricks as he continued to kiss her, lifting their twined hands above her head while his other arm wrapped around her waist. Before she could even moan in response, he was trailing down her neck with sharp, sloppy kisses that made her insides burn.

This was wrong… so good yet so wrong…

"Sasuke," she whispered breathlessly, slowly loosing control over her actions. "S-Sasuke… Sasuke stop."

He only groaned in response, lifting his head from her revealing cleavage to her ear, whispering in a playfully husky tone, "stop what?"

She pushes him away with her free hand, causing him to open his eyes in confusion.

"You're making out with your _EX_ girlfriend, doesn't that ring any bells?"

He frowned, bringing their linked fingers to his lips, kissing her hand softly before looking up at her with hooded coal eyes.

"I don't want you to be my ex, I want you to be more than just my girlfriend Naru, you're my best friend," he spoke with determination and demandingness, eyes narrowed dangerously.

She only shook her head, prying her hand from his as she leaned against the wall, her head lowered so she didn't have to look at his eyes.

"We can't, Sasuke." She suddenly looked up with narrowed eyes, staring right at his heartbroken ones.

"We can't just ignore each other for practically a year and then act like nothing happened, it doesn't work like that!"

He was trembling, pulling away from her as he leaned on the opposite wall, eyes clouded as his mask came on again.

She felt cold… colder than she had since they first broke up. A dead silence settled between them, the only noise being their heavy breathing and the music coming from the club. Slowly, he captured her eyes again, a look so pitifully pleading that she wanted to break out in hysteria right there and now.

"What," he started, swallowing deeply as he gathered the courage to speak again. "What do you want me to do?" he whispered, so quietly that she barely heard him.

"I… I want to take things slow…"

.

.

* * *

Footnotes:

(1) The link to the picture with Sasuke's bandana is on my profile.

(2) Dobe – Dead last (insulting) in Japanese.

(3) Andean Condor – A type of vulture and although primarily a scavenger, they are scene as symbol of power, health and liberty. They are also one of the heaviest flying birds and have excellent eye sight and are very intelligent. They often find food by astute observation. Males are also larger and more powerful then females.

* * *

**A/N: I don't have a beta and I'm extremely tired today, there may be more mistakes then usual. If you see any glaring ones please let me know! **


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters created and trademarked by Masashi Kishimoto in the Naruto universe. They belong to their respected owners. I am not making any money off of this story. I do, however, own the plot of this story. Please do not use any of the written work as shown below without my written permission.

**Warnings: Coarse language, suggestive themes, genderswitch, SasuFemNaru**

_Paragraphs in italics_- flash backs, lyrics/poems, dreams, and thoughts  
normal- present

**Enjoy:)**

* * *

**Like Birds**

_**Three**_

.

.

Two weeks.

It's been two weeks since they've last spoken, since they've last seen each other, since the puzzles seemed to be slowly connecting together again. They had, once again, migrated to their separate corners of the earth where life was different. They were different.

Not even a god damn text message.

In fact, _he_ was ignoring _her _texts. Of course they had been on the casual side, such as: _hey, how are you? To what are you up to today?_ And even: _Wanna hang?_

The sinking feeling that came with his silence was strangling her slowly with familiarity. The sudden withdrawal, the ignoring… she's lived through this before. She had lived with it for _months_ before she finally couldn't take it anymore. Her confrontation would have been the initial spark that lead her down into this pit of despair that she was currently in and it _hurt._

It hurt a fucking lot.

She should have known he would have reacted this way, should have known that he wouldn't be able to accept it.

He's never been able to handle having things not going his way.

_Just like your father._

What had he expected her to do? She argued with herself, smoking by the dozen again. Did he expect for things to not change? To be the same? Of course they wouldn't be. Once you pass the point of no return there is no going back, you can only go forward.

They themselves have mutated these past few months to become different creatures. The same memories, but no longer the same person. They had no choice but to fly away from each other. It was meant to be.

She feels terrible, cradling herself because no one else would. She's dealed with this shit for too long…

She knew he was hurting just as much as she was, that he still cared, but she couldn't – no refused – to go back to how things were.

Why couldn't he see?

They'd never be the same again. No matter how much both of them wanted to.

It was gloomy today, just like yesterday and the day before that. The fresh burst of spring sunshine seemed to be overpowered by winters decay again as it no longer shone as brilliantly as it did before.

It was dying just like she was.

She had tried to go jogging but lost her nerve, the air raping her with its cold as death kiss. She had been out of breath, out of shape, out of body. She feared that she would no longer be the same again. Just this sad little girl stuck in her melodramatic world of miserable depression as heavy as chains. Chained down to the ground with him, where he refused to let her live again. To live without him.

Kyuubi having jumped onto her deteriorating body, she sighed out angrily, butting out the toxic fumes she adored so much. She began to slowly pet the fluffy kitten, letting out a hoarse laugh as he squirmed and wiggled, throwing her bouts of attitude as he attempted to settle down in the curves of her stomach. His radiating orange fur was the only happy thing in this gloomy apartment, the only thing that kept her above the sea of depression for most of the day.

Kyuubi began to purr, setting his adorable little head down out his paws as he they both were lulled to sleep.

* * *

This time she slept deeply. Deeper than she had in months. There were no dreams, no memories, no images of him or her or of childhood and family. All she saw was the black abyss that had become her friend within these past few months.

She was at peace, in a place where she could sleep… forever.

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open and she cringed out the sound of the fur ball mewing loudly at the singing birds. She must have left the window open again…

She had also skipped class… _again_, knowing that it would be useless as she couldn't concentrate on anything. Absolutely nothing at all.

She hated how powerless and worthless he made her feel. Just by a stupid little kiss and a glance at his tortured eyes.

How dare he, she screamed at herself, slipping out of her dirty clothes and into the scorching water of her shower.

How dare he be allowed to look so heartbroken, so shattered and deceived, as if this was all her fault?

She was the victim here; the bird that had been caged with its wings clipped so that she could never fly again.

She was beginning to pound on the wall in a fit a rage, hating herself for allowing it to go this far, 'to be friends again'. She just should have left him there like he had left her: broken, angry, mutilated and mutated; no longer being allowed to be what they once were.

_You're just like your father._

She cursed herself for her forgiving and understanding nature, knowing that no matter how hard she tried to hate him, he would always come back with those haunting words:

_But I only fly to you._

He was absolutely, positively, most undoubtedly a bastard. A big one at that. He should be damned to the ninth level of hell for making her feel this way, for making her suffer in silence this way. It was his entire fault. That she was smoking so much, uncaring, dead at work and ignorant of school. For god's sake, she was even beginning to neglect her poor and innocent kitten – who wanted nothing more than to be with his mistress. He had made her pathetic.

Her skin red and burning, she stepped out the shower, wiping the fogged mirror so that she could see her reflection.

Her eyes were starting to fade from being that pretty 'forget-me-not' blue to the equivalent of dead blue jays. There were bags under her eyes and her wet hair clung to her in a pathetically drooping manner rather than spiking naturally. Her skin was beginning to lose that California-like-tan that she was known for and she was becoming skinny; her muscles practically gone. _God damn_ even her _breasts _seemed to fall lifelessly, as if every part of her body was in an emergency state of hopelessness.

No longer able to see herself, she whipped the mirror again, glaring at the horrid reflection.

This wasn't her… this declining sack of insignificance. Had she really become so pitiable?

Resisting the urge to punch the mirror, in a fit of self-consciousness, she wrapped herself in a large towel, hugging herself as she looked out the bathroom mirror, into the foul grey skies, keeping the heavens hostage and refusing to let the sun live. She really did wish she could fly… beyond those clouds to the blue and yellow contrast that always energized her. Always.

She just wanted to soar away.

To learn how to _live _again.

* * *

Groaning angrily in frustration, she stormed out of the bathroom, going straight to her cigarettes to clear her mind with his smoky haze. However, after a few puffs, she was only left irritated. She stubs it out angrily, sighing out deeply as she began to rub her temples. They weren't the same anymore.

There were no more dancing spirits, no more wings in her mind, and no more uplifting in her blood.

They were just poison.

Toxic, like the state she was living in.

Toxic, like their relationship.

Screaming in rage, she begins to dig her blunt nails in her skull hating herself for being this way.

Without him, she was without control. It was truly as if she had lost a part of herself – half of her _soul _as she would never be the same again. No longer was she a bird with clipped wings. She was a bird whose head had been severed, whose body was ripped into two, and whose heart continued to beat the blood, no matter how useless the act had become.

Dead things don't continue to survive.

_I can't keep living – no – __dying__ like this anymore…" _she thinks to herself.

Taking in some deep breathes; she calmed herself, untangling her fingers from her knots of hair.

Maybe she's over reacting a little, she tells herself, taking in deep breathes because you _can't_ fly unless you know how to take _deep breathes_.

There are many reasons as to why he hasn't contacted her in two weeks. The first thought that comes to mind is his music major. His classes probably require him to create compositions and besides that, his perfectionism. When it came to music, Sasuke was capable of pulling all-nighters with ease and also, he would completely immerse himself in his work. No one could pull him out of that state of mind once he got himself into it.

She also thinks he could have taken her _"I want to take things slow"_ much harder to heart then what she had wanted it too.

Of course she wanted to take things slow… after all, after so many months of solitude, how could he expect for them to act as if nothing had happened?

She's scared.

She's been in her nest for too long and she doesn't know if she can just take that leap of faith to fly with him again. Since apparently, he only fly's to her. He's proven the span of his wings and his ability to grow. He's able to fly without her and that's what scares her. She's nothing but a scared little chick compared to his tall and elegant stature.

Scoffing in distaste, she clenches her fists at the ridiculousness of her melodrama.

Since when was she afraid of Uchiha, Sasuke?

* * *

Her dreams had come back this night.

However, she was no longer plagued with memories, desires, and sadness. They were just… strange.

She had been in a foreign place, filled with colours of blue, turquoise, and green. Suddenly she was attacked, being drowned by vultures, ravens, and hawks. They were all birds of death. They were all hunters, and they were all black.

She was drowning and yet… she didn't feel anything. She didn't feel pain, sadness, or fear. In fact, if anything, she felt comforted.

The birds had embraced her and she was no longer alone.

* * *

She had woken up late today, Kyuubi meowing louder then a banshee out of hunger. She really needed to get a large bowl and fill it with the dry cat food she had bought so he would finally stop waking her up all the time.

Stretching out, she kicked herself off of the couch, grabbing a near by elastic, and tied her hair. She then lit her morning glory and blew out, before dubbing out the cigarette again. They still hadn't changed. They were no longer as satisfying as they were before.

Instead, she makes some sweetly scented white jasmine tea and drinks the warm liquid slowly, feeling completely refreshed as she cracked open a window.

The sun was out today.

The birds were singing loudly and even the fur ball fury had decided to bask in the light rather then torment the birds. Feeling a bit of herself come back, she butted out the cigarette, got dressed and decided that maybe she'd go for a long jog today; beside the creak where the frogs would always sing and then later through the city. Maybe she'd even stop by Ichiraku Ramen and indulge in her gluttonous pleasure for what would be the first time in months.

Tying up the laces of her sneakers, she then ruffled Kyuubi's head, pressing a soft kiss to his fur before taking the time to stand and look around the dark little apartment. This place needed some changes. It was too gloomy since he left, the picture's gone and the posters and artwork having been either taken down or ripped up when she was still feral. The lack of light had paled out the colours and the plants were dead.

They had broken up in winter, but now it was spring.

A time, when you could start fresh.

She thinks she could get rid of some of the old furniture and buy some new stuff. She could even ask that bastard Sai to help her paint the walls a kind of pale orange that he could doodle some fantastic artwork on. She's ready to let go of the past and begin to live in the present.

Maybe they had broken up, maybe they had ignored each other for months, maybe Sasuke did still have strong feelings for her, and maybe she was scared to be with him again. That didn't mean that she would allow herself to wallow away. She was going to spread her wings and take that first fatal leap out of the nest.

She's flied once before, why can't she do it again?

Heading out the door, a small smile playing her lips, she burst through the complex's door with a sudden shot of energy before her smile fell, staring numbly at the sight before her.

Of course he would show up now.

Of course he would show up when she had finally forgotten about him, when she finally decided that it was time to move on and let her wings guide her again. Why did he continue to cage her this way?

Was she a pet? Only allowed to be free when the master allowed her to be so?

The first thing she took in was his appearance.

And honestly… as abnormal as it sounded…

He looked like absolute shit.

Exhausted, miserable, and desperate; his elegant grace has been stripped with the bruised discoloration under his red eyes, a hollowness to his face as his elf-like cheek bones looked sharper then daggers. His hair was wild… but in a deteriorating sense of uncertainty as his clothes looked old and she could no longer smell that spice of his cologne.

She feels as if she's looking in a mirror.

Glaring at his blood-shot eyes, the hard expression on his face, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What is it Sasuke," she drawled, wishing she could be mean enough to spit in his face and storm off.

He's ignored her for so long… what else could he possibly want?

"Naru," he whispered with an unnatural shake in his voice, fingers twitching to touch her before returning to his side. "Come with me? Please?"

She should have sad no. Something along the lines of: _Next time you wanna hang out, text me ahead of time, _but at the sight of those friable, stygian, slate orbs riddled with every single shadow under the sun, she didn't know if she had iced over enough; or rather, moved on enough to break him without feeling a horrid wickedness.

"_Please, Naruto…" _

She's never been able to say no to him anyways.

"Come with you where?"

"It will only be for a little while I promise."

"_Where _Sasuke. Tell me where you want to take me."

"Give me an hour Naru, that's all I'm asking for. Then you can decide for yourself, alright?"

She hadn't even realized that she had agreed attentively before he was tugging her down the street towards god knows where.

What did he want her to decide about?

Hand in hand, they walked down the streets of Konoha at a pace similar to that of a bird taking off. She was so stunned at the frantic speed that they were gong at that she failed to ask any questions, more curious to see for herself what the raven had planned rather than to argue with him, knowing that it would be completely and utterly futile.

She had a pretty good feeling what it was he wanted her to decide on, but how the Uchiha planned to 'woo' her was beyond her comprehension.

That sneaky bastard always had something up his sleeve.

Like breaking up.

Coming to her senses she realized that they had actually come to a halt… and in fact, the vulture like man had let go of her…

Immediately crossing her arms over her chest, she jutted her hip in an unimpressed fashion; eyebrows furrowed as he pulled out a pair of keys and opened the door slowly. Turning to her, he sighed aloud, opening the door wide open.

"Well?" he jeered impatiently, "will you come in?"

Throwing him a harsh look, she slowly walked into the condominium, eyes widening at how the Uchihas could make any place look like royalty. She remembered that Sasuke's mother was an interior designer and she also remembered how glamorous the Uchiha Manor appeared, but some how she had never been able to believe that she had been this talented.

For one, the small space was littered with glass windows that illuminated the space with radiance. There was a small staircase leading up to what she assumed would be the bedrooms as below the staircase was a gorgeous kitchen that literally _sparkled_. Although the floor was hardwood, there lay a gorgeous crimson Persian rug that was large enough to be centered with the white leather furniture and the enormous plasma TV.

The final piece was stationed near the back wall.

The very same tall, black piano that was practically the embodiment of Sasuke's soul and the very same one that had been her friend for so many years.

The raven began to drag her once again towards the piano, and she follows obediently without a struggle as a lost duckling follows its mother. Attentively, he sits down and shyly pulls her down beside him. Facing him, she stared at him with confusion, searching for anything; a single feather that would tell her why he was acting so strangely, so emotionally yet so coldly.

His response ran through his fingers as he avoided her gaze and began to play a slow and powerful melody.

His fingers fluttered across the keys for what seemed like hours, the deep growl of the piano smoothed out by a chirping harmony that brought the composition together beautifully, tugging the red strings of her heart closer to the severed strings of his. She could _feel_ every single one of his emotions poured out into the complexity of the melody as he continued to play – still avoidant of her gaze.

Before she even knew what was happening, tears were leaking out of her eyes, skydiving into the unknown as if her spirit had been freed; letting go of the jealousy, of the pain, of the anger that had held her heart for almost a year. She was falling through the sky together – that first leap of faith – with him as his music carried them away to a place that only they could reach.

She had covered her mouth to suppress her sobs, her eyes darting from the trance of his long fingers moving to the seriousness of his face. His eyes refused to meet hers as he concentrated on exposing his soul to her. He's never been good with expressing his emotions and this piano was the key to unlocking not only _her_ cage, but his as well. Maybe finally they could meet like long lost lovers and fly to each other without a care in the world.

After all, some birds mate for life. No other would ever be acceptable enough to replace them.

She hadn't even realized that he had stopped playing, the beautiful tune still replaying itself in her mind over and over again, until Sasuke began to speak in a voice hoarse with tortured whispers; still refusing to look at her.

"It's for you…" he began, his fingers still tracing the keys. "About you… I – I know that you want to take things slow, but this is how I feel." His eyes closed and his fists clenched. "This is how I'll _always _feel." He's being awkward and she's not surprised.

He's never exposed his true feelings this openly… this _powerfully_.

She can't take it anymore.

Amidst the silence, she finally lets her final wall come crashing down. She let a sob escape her briefly before controlling herself again. It was too late.

His head whipped towards her and he looks shocked at the sight of her miserable and crying form, just staring as if he didn't know what to do. Eventually, he wraps his strong arms around her, cradling her as he daringly buries her face into her hair, rocking them slowly.

"I know," his voice shakes again, "that you want to take things slow… and I'm sorry to have ignored you…" 'again" being the word he wants to finish off with.

"But I needed to let you know… that no matter what happens, I'll always feel like this about you and that will _never_ change."

They stay like that for a while, the rocking calming her tantrum and she really does start to think that birds of a feather must flock together.

So she fists his shirt aggressively, pulling away to stare into those melanoid eyes before growling out,

"If you ever, _ever_ fucking ignore me again and treat me like shit because something is happening in your life and 'you don't want me to worry', I'm going to fucking _kill you_." He dares to slowly smirk, eyes becoming hooded as he ruffles her head and leans in.

She's choking again, knowing that maybe they had indeed reconciled, but she was scared of the rapidness they were taking. Maybe she was afraid of Uchiha Sasuke, or maybe she was afraid to let him so close to her again because if things ever did get serious, she'd never want to loose him again.

To her relief, he presses a quick kiss to her forehead, calming her immediately as her fists relax and she rests her palms against his chest.

Even after every argument, no matter how intense and earth-shattering it had been, they were always able to come back to each other; to make up and to set things right again.

After all, birds of a feather flock together.

Despite how different their feathers were, their nature was, they had always belonged to each other; never letting the other go or stray too far. They had always been together.

And together, they would stay.

* * *

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**A/N: I apologize for the extreme lateness of this chapter as I was trying to avoid making it seem cliché and ooc to the characters. Although it is shorter then the other two chapters, I hope that I have been able to wrap this story up to everyone's liking. **

**Unfortunately, this is the end of Like Birds. **

**It was meant to be a three shot and it will stay a three shot, so I apologize to those of you thinking it would be longer. Do not fret! I don't know if I will return to this particular universe, but I always have something planned out for these two ;) **

**And like all my stories, the first two chapters of this story have been updated and expect this one to follow suit in about a week or so :P**

**Until next time!**

**Patterns-at-dusk**


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